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SNP and Labour MPs call on May to visit 'horrific' asylum seekers’ accommodation

SNP and Labour MPs have called on Theresa May to visit asylum seekers’ accommodation in Glasgow, following allegations vulnerable people are being housed in "horrific" conditions. In her six years as Home Secretary the Prime Minister did not inspect any of the properties used across the UK. Now members of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee have urged her to make the journey before a multi-million pound contract is extended. (Kate Devlin, The Herald)

Earlier this year Serco, which holds the contract, admitted that allegations 40 people had had to share a kitchen in Glasgow's Tartan Lodge hostel were "substantially correct". It said it had been unable to investigate claims that staff taunted asylum seekers with handcuffs and threats of deportation, but rejected reports of accommodation with bloodspattered walls, saying that the substance had been fruit juice.

Serco says that its 1,860 Glasgow properties meet Home Office standards and are among some of the most heavily inspected in the sector. Read more here
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